


Entropy

by phenomanon



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Idiots in Love, M/M, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:21:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21857482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phenomanon/pseuds/phenomanon
Summary: Nick sees a listing in the paper for a "time travel partner" one day and goes down the rabbit hole. Science Fiction AU - Inspired by AU Anon on panchostokes' tumblr.
Relationships: Greg Sanders & Nick Stokes, Greg Sanders/Nick Stokes
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Entropy

_Inspired by this amazing[ **anon/post**](https://panchostokes.tumblr.com/post/189747057827/time-travel-au-greg-is-a-zany-scientist-who-puts) on panchostokes' tumblr and the movie Safety Not Guaranteed. _

_Follows the basic outline for the movie, but different premise and ending._

_Thanks to everyone for reading and happy holidays!_

———

"Congratulations my boy, you are now a CSI Level Three. I'm very proud of you, Warrick."

Grissom affectionately threw an arm around Warrick, revealing a new ID badge that reflected his upgraded status. The room full of CSI's erupted in celebratory cheers as Warrick ran through a human conveyor belt of hugs, back slaps, and high fives.

Warrick's excitement peaked then slowed down, as he stood in front of his best friend (and competition), Nick Stokes.

Nick smiled earnestly and put his arms around Warrick; disarming him.

"Good job, Warrick. You deserve it man." 

"Thanks Nick. You'll get 'em next time buddy."

He offered a genuine smile to the Texan who accepted it graciously.

"I know."

Nick licked his lips and looked down.

"You comin' out to celebrate with us?"

"Of course man, wouldn't miss it. I can't stay long though. Have some stuff I gotta take care of after."

———

After merrily getting drunk with his best friends and coworkers, Nick quietly ducked out early to walk himself to the neighborhood coffee shop. He was a bit tipsy and needed to get his shit together with some caffeine before heading home. Nick pushed the glass door open, greeting the barista with a smile. Glancing around the snack options, he grabbed a pumpernickel bagel to go with his newspaper.

"I'll take a regular hot coffee please." 

The cashier nodded with a flirtatious smile and rang him up. 

He seated himself at the back of the shop, flipping open the newspaper as he bit into his bagel. The stories in the paper read as usual; high profile crimes littering the front page with sports announcements and department store ads following not far behind. Unable to focus on a real story in his drunk state, Nick turned his attention to the back of the paper. This is where the _real_ stories were.

"Now _that's_ sad." He whispered to himself, referring to the people desperately trying to find their lost connections and potential lovers in the back pages.

One listing read, ' _Voluptuous, open-minded, and ready for love. F/38/Summerlin South._ ' Which translated to, ' _Thicc, rich, and down for di—_ '

"Here's your coffee, sir." 

Nick's thoughts were interrupted by the same cute barista from before. He quickly shut the newspaper and thanked her, his cheeks flushing a little at the thought of being exposed. Biting into his bagel, he waited until she was completely out of sight before returning to his sad reading.

That's when something precarious caught his eye.

' _Looking for time travel partner. 100% serious. Email only: lonetraveler01@gmail.com_ '

Something about the listing stuck out to Nick, though it might have been because he was inebriated. Nick was a scientist after all, and all of his training was telling him that the person who took out this ad was probably mentally unstable. In school he had learned that time travel was _theoretically_ possible, but it was nothing more than hopeful science fiction at this point. He lowered the paper and pulled out his phone, opening it up to the email browser. If anything, he had a morbid curiosity to find out what this person meant by 'time travel partner,' and it's not like he had a lot going on in his life anyways.

' _I'm a scientist_ —'

Nick quickly deleted his initial response. He wasn't so sure he should be revealing his occupation yet in case this person really was crazy. 

What was he talking about? _Of course_ this person was crazy. But Nick was probably crazier for even indulging him.

' _Fellow traveler. 100% serious. Looking to go back and change something. We should meet. -Cisco_ '

Without another moment's hesitation, his fingers hit send and the plan was set in motion.

———

A week had passed, and Nick had finally grown accustomed to Warrick being a CSI Level Three. He honestly felt Warrick deserved it, but it made Nick feel inadequate in his own work. That's why Nick was stuck at the lab putting in extra hours to improve his achievement ratio when his phone vibrated. Thinking it was Warrick or Hodges beeping him on a case, he pulled it out for inspection.

Instead, a spam email notification lit up the screen. He quickly exited the text box and returned to his case file.

Picking up the evidence envelope with a gloved hand, Nick examined the contents once again, not finding anything unique from the last time he checked. He pulled out another envelope and glanced at the red fibers inside, hoping to see some kind of irregularity. Nothing. Suddenly another notification popped up on his phone, this time from Warrick.

It was a quick snapshot of the fibers they had found on the victim's car so Nick could compare them to the ones in the envelope. As he clicked out of Warrick's email, he noticed the spam message again. About to clear it out, his finger stopped when he saw the strange title and sender. ' _Hello traveler_.' Nick took a deep breath and opened it. A smile spread across his face halfway through, and he hit the reply button once he was finished reading.

———

Nick didn't know what he was doing.

He had been sent a set of coordinates in the email, and though his instincts told him not to follow it, here he was.

Along dusty roads, a rusty water tower, and a seemingly abandoned gas station. He looked back at his printed out map to confirm the location. This was it.

The email had explicitly stated to find the place conventionally; without the use of phones or internet devices. Nick wasn't a fool though, and had his phone on silent, just in case. But he followed a paper map in case the coordinates led him to something...real.

Nick had also brought his gun, hidden under his shirt. If anything, this could be a potential crime scene and he had to be ready. Parking his car off to the side of the building, he took a deep breath and stepped inside the gas station. The old station was empty, though it seemed like the lights might still be working. He looked around for a light switch and finally found one, flipping it on without reservation. Warm lights flooded in all around Nick, revealing an empty workspace someone looked to have been using.

It was empty, but there were signs of activity. For starters, it was a bit too clean to be truly abandoned. There wasn't any dust or cobwebs anywhere, which would have been expected for a place that looked so dilapidated on the outside.

"Looking for someone?"

Suddenly a loud voice echoed throughout the room, making Nick jump a foot in the air. The sound was coming from a set of speakers somewhere, although Nick didn't see any upon first inspection. Nick realized he needed to secure the perimeter before continuing on his journey. He looked around the room with his hand resting on his hip, waiting to pull out his piece if necessary. 

"Who are you?"

"Put your hands in the air."

"What?"

"Put your hands in the air, slowly. Do you have a weapon?"

"No."

Nick put his hands up but didn't break his tense position.

"You're lying."

"I'm not. Look, where are you?" Who are you?"

"No one important. Why are you here?"

"The listing in the paper. Travel companion."

"What do you know about... _traveling_?"

"I know it's theoretically possible. Prove me right or prove me wrong, I just wanna know."

"What is it you want to go back for?"

"It's personal. But if you show yourself I might tell you."

A few minutes of silence passed before Nick heard shuffling in the background. He was on high alert, scanning the area for possible enemy breaches. Instead it was something he would have never expected—a tall, lanky blonde kid with sunglasses. He looked Nick over before circling him like a wild puma. 

"Lone traveler?"

"Cisco."

This time the kid's voice was a lot more subdued; not being amplified by speakers.

Nick smiled. No one called him Cisco but his own father. It was an intimate detail only his family knew, and yet this stranger was calling him that now. He was also shocked when he didn't feel exposed, rather oddly comforted.

"Is this a prank?"

"Didn't you read the listing?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I put '100% serious' for a reason. There's no sense in nonsense." The kid replied matter-of-factly, studying Nick.

"Right."

The older man nodded as he began to put his hands down.

"I never said you could put your hands down."

"They're starting to hurt, man."

"I'm still neutralizing you as a threat! Keep 'em up."

Nick's hands quickly shot up again, taking the opportunity to analyze his moving target.

"What are _you_ going back for?"

The kid suddenly stopped pacing, taking off his sunglasses to stare Nick square in the eye.

"I ask the questions around here."

Nick took a good look at the kid, who was early to mid-twenties, with a charmingly boyish face and curious features. His eyes were sharp like his nose, and his hair was spiked in multiple directions. Nick couldn't help but think he looked handsome for someone putting out creepy newspaper listings. Still, he didn't want to underestimate the stranger and tried to visually identify a weapon on his person.

"Look I don't really know what I'm doing here."

"So you're a liar."

"What?"

"Said you were 100% serious in your email, now you're backing out. Knew you weren't the right one."

"You haven't told me anything. How can I even trust you?"

"You're the one who came all the way out here. There hasn't been anything to indicate I can trust you either."

"I'm a scientist."

"I know."

"What?"

"I traced your email back to the CSI Las Vegas Crime Lab. Their connection isn't exactly secure."

Nick's face paled, getting flashbacks of his stalker.

"What the hell man?"

"Are you following me? Do you work for them?"

"Who?"

"Why is the crime lab tailing me?"

This is what Nick had been waiting for, a bout of insanity with a splash of paranoia.

"Man the crime lab isn't following you. I just happen to work at the crime lab and I used my phone that day... _look_. What else do you know about me?"

“If you’re not following me then what, are you here to...make fun of me?”

”No man. I’m not.”

Nick held his jaw tightly.

"Then _why_ are you here?"

"'Cause I'm curious about your calibrations."

Nick smirked and watched for the other man's reaction. His clenched face soon melted into one of jest.

"Don't worry about my calibrations, all right? They're flippin' perfect. Lift up your shirt."

He shot the blonde a cold look and narrowed his eyes.

"Now just wait a minute—"

"Gotta make sure you're not wearin' a wire."

"Ah."

Nick casually lifted his shirt and revealed a toned six pack. The blonde became unnerved at the sight and signaled for Nick to turn around. Nick let out another sigh, slowly rotating his body with his hands still in the air.

"You can put your hands down."

Nick finally settled, shaking the strain out of his hands which were half asleep.

"Is this for real?" He asked, getting a serious expression from the younger man.

"Of course it's real. You know, people are _so_ convinced entropy is an irreversible process. That time only flows in one direction..."

"Isn't it though? I mean thermodynamics states that—"

"I know what it says man, I'm a chemist. But people are narrow-minded. They look at this tiny slice of time, what's observable to the human eye, because that's all they can see. They forget that this reality is just an amalgamation of what we observe and compose ourselves—our perception of existence. We-we have no idea what exists beyond the visible, even on a molecular level. All I'm saying is what if time's not a fixed thing? What if it moves in multiple directions, like a V?"

"Really thought this through, huh?" Nick said, the only response he could muster from the rantings of a crazy so-called scientist.

"A good traveler is always prepared. You ready for time ops training?"

"Time ops training?"

"Only the most important process to prepare yourself for the journey."

"Guess I am." Nick said with a smirk. "You never told me your name though."

"Name's aren't important."

"You know mine."

"Your name's not Cisco."

Nick's eyes enlarged again.

"Excuse me?"

"Name's Greg. You showed me yours so I'll show you mine." He said with a smile, tilting his head towards the back door. "Let's go out that way."

"Why?"

"Told you, time ops training."

———

Another bottle exploded, the sound ricocheting in the empty field like a bomb had gone off. Greg had led them to a deserted outdoor training area near the abandoned gas station, with a set of crudely lined up bottles on the wall. He was pretty sure Greg set up the haphazard obstacle course in front of them.

"Knew you were carrying."

Nick looked up from his scope at Greg in annoyance.

"Well what else do you know? Since you're the expert."

"Please. Like I'm going to disclose that information while you have a live round in your hand." Greg said as he unleashed his shot, hitting the bottle though his aim was slightly off from Nick's.

"You know, if you fix your footwork a little you could improve your aim." Nick said, getting an angry glare from Greg.

"Who's doing the training here?"

"Just sayin' I'm a good shot. The best actually, where I work. Could teach you a thing or two."

Greg took in a deep breath and nodded out of spite.

"Don't think this is because I trust you. Just wanna see what you know."

"Got it. Clear, then stand down."

Greg nodded, lowering his weapon and hitting the safety button. Nick did the same as he carefully walked behind Greg. He put his gun back in its holster and stood with his feet apart, signaling for Greg to follow him. As Greg spread his legs shoulder length apart, Nick lightly kicked the inside of his thighs with his foot. He used an arm to move one foot slightly in front of the other, circling Greg to make sure his stance was accurate.

"Good?"

"Better. Also when you're looking down the scope you should have both eyes open. For a lot of reasons, particularly safety."

"What are you, ex military?"

"Thought you looked into all my records." Nick said in a slightly offended voice, making minor adjustments to Greg's posture.

"Not all of them. I like a little mystery." He said with a grin, lifting his head and beckoning Nick to retreat behind him. 

Nick got the message and backed up, analyzing Greg's movement as well as their surroundings.

"You're good to go."

"Correction: _I'm awesome_. Standby."

Crossing his arms, a smile appeared on Nick's face with Greg seemingly taking his advice as he shot. This time, the bottle clearly shattered from the center outwards. The glass exploded in even shards, getting a slight smile from the younger man as well.

"Nice shot."

"Guess I had a decent teacher."

" _So_...why are you traveling? What are you going back for?"

Greg was speechless at Nick's sudden query, locking the safety on his gun before looking away. He reorganized his body and sat down with his legs crossed. Nick soon followed suite.

"That's..." He took a deep breath. "I still haven't made my mind up about you yet."

"Really? After I just taught you the secret Stokes technique?"

Greg frowned, picking up a rock in his hands to distract himself.

"You didn't teach me anything I already didn't know."

"Sure, boss."

"Why'd you say your name was Cisco?"

Now it was Nick's turn to hold in a deep breath. He had never detailed his family life to anyone before, let alone a stranger, but he felt compelled to be honest with this odd man for some reason.

"My name _is_ Cisco. Well, it's something my dad calls me. I call him Pancho. Only you know that."

Greg tried to hide his smile as he continued to play with the rock.

"Papa Olaf."

"Huh?"

"My grandpa. I wanna go back and save him."

Nick looked into Greg's eyes which displayed vulnerability for the first time. He was thinking it would have been a grandiose scheme, some cosmic purpose for a man to think he could time travel. But his response was just so...human, so relatable. It wasn't a bad thing.

"That's noble."

"Not really, it's more of a selfish thing. Life hasn't been the same. Can't seem to make sense of this world without him."

Greg was silent for a moment before he looked back at Nick.

"I get it."

"Do you though? Have you ever...is there a person in your life you wish you could go back and talk to? Even for just a moment?"

Nick's eyes filled with a transparent layer of moisture as he swallowed down an oncoming choke. There was indeed someone like that in his life, only it wasn't for the reasons Greg was implying. A part of Nick wanted to go back to that moment, that sordid day in 1980 when his entire world was turned upside down. He just wanted to know why...why she did it. What had compelled her to take those actions that would change a nine year old's life forever?

"Yeah."

"Really? Who?"

"Um..."

Nick was dragged into a surreal nightmare. Back into his childhood room. It was dark, but he could still see the vague outline of a figure in the distance. It moved jaggedly and off-beat, almost like a demon in the night. He quickly shook himself out of his thoughts and he turned to Greg.

"Also my grandfather." He lied. "Never got to know him, but he set the precedent for my entire lineage to follow. Wanna know if he'd be proud of me."

Greg looked into his eyes, not quite believing his story but not able to probe any deeper.

"My grandpa was tossed from Norway for getting my grandmother pregnant before they got married. To this day my grandma still tells me, _som man reder sa ligger man_. One must lie in the bed one has made."

Nick nodded, a kindness emanating from his eyes. He gently looked down at Greg's hands, taking the rock slowly from his grasp. Greg picked up his head gradually, his eyes in a state of suspicion before seeing Nick's softened expression. Nick carefully turned his head and brought his lips to Greg's, sparking an intimate kiss in the glow of the sunset. Greg raised his hand gently, an open palm now caressing Nick's face.

Once they parted, Nick cleared his throat and looked into the distance.

"You don't have to do this alone, Greg."

"Doesn't really matter how I do it. Just know I'm doing it."

"Never said you weren't."

"We're losing daylight so we should end today's training. Meet back here tomorrow at noon for the remainder of your instruction...and then we travel."

"10-4. By the way, you can call me Nick if you want."

———

A white ball slid down a set of dark corridors, bouncing around like it was full of helium. When it reached the end of a dark maze, its movements ceased. The rectangular shapes encapsulating the white ball began to morph, swallowing it like a monster at sea. The darkness enveloped Nick like a familiar fog and suffocated him out of existence. He was now in bed being strangled by the blankets around him as a looming figure materialized from the shadows. Her hands felt so foreign and unforgiving like many strangers he had felt before. They roamed his body and trapped his mind like an invisible coffin...but he was unable to scream. Nick's mouth was wide open, but not a single sound was coming out. Her hands finally tightened around his neck and pushed down.

"No!"

Nick bolted awake, his entire face covered in feverish sweats. Looking over at the eerie glow of _3:33am_ , he let out a desperate sigh and turned on his lamp.

There was no way he could keep doing this for the rest of his life. He understood his fate now. Nick was ready to travel.

———

"Didn't think you'd show up."

Nick didn't bother to look at the kid as he cleared his throat.

"What's the next part of the training?" He responded coldly, pushing past Greg to look into the distance.

"All right, all right. Keep it in your holster." Greg said, walking over to the older man. "The last part's a mental examination."

"Really? Coming from you?"

Greg compressed his eyes, feeling insulted by Nick's accusation.

"Hey, I'm just making sure you understand what you're signing up for."

"I understand Greg, where's the next part?" He almost screamed.

Greg stopped Nick in his tracks, putting his hand on Nick's shoulder for support.

"Are you okay with the major possibility that you won't be able to come back? The idea that your physical body may not make it?"

"Whatever."

"Nick, this is serious."

"I know. Sorry. Yeah, I get it. I really do."

"Now your consciousness on the other hand. Don't ask me how, but I think that'll still be there."

Nick was silent for a moment before he carefully considered his words.

"I don't think I want to come back."

Greg nodded before dropping his head. He got what Nick was saying, having similar reasons of his own.

"I want to show you something."

He pulled Nick out of his dark thoughts, taking his hand and dragging him to an abandoned shed near the training facility. Greg let go, bringing Nick back to reality as he casually pulled open a large wooden door. He brought a flashlight out of his back pocket and walked inside as he spotlighted a corner of the room. In the darkness, Nick could see the outline of something mechanical. Greg turned the flashlight back onto Nick, causing the older man to flinch.

"What is this Greg?"

"It's...how we're going to travel."

"Are you saying—"

"I've been working on this for years with a secret network of other physicists around the world. Everyone thinks I'm crazy but..."

Nick had no way of diagnosing what the machine in front of him even was, but somewhere in his heart, he believed Greg. Believed it could work, believed it could take him away from this reality.

"How do you know it works?"

"I don't. But maybe with you, we could find out together?" Greg offered a hopeful smile.

"I'm ready."

Hearing Nick's confession only made Greg feel worse. He clicked off his flashlight and turned to Nick sincerely.

"I'm not sure I can do this with you."

"What?"

Nick felt his whole world crashing down in an instant.

"As selfish as my reasons for going back are, I feel okay with someone like me traveling. But you? You look like people would miss you if you were gone...and I can't have that on my conscience."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means you have something to live for, Nick. If I never came back, no one would care. Papa Olaf was my only friend. But you...you seem like you have people waiting on you. People would wonder what happened to you if you went missing."

"No they wouldn't."

"What year are you even trying to go back to?"

Greg's question caught Nick off guard.

"Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't, I guess. But I need to set this to a particular year and that's kind of all you get."

"1980."

"Works for me. I'll have plenty of time to save Papa Olaf from 1980."

"What am I even doing? This is ridiculous." Nick's outburst stunned Greg as he pushed his way past him again.

"I know it all sounds crazy but—"

"You have _no_ idea how crazy this sounds. I had no idea how crazy it all sounded until now, hearing you talk. What the hell are we doing Greg? What is this!"

"What's going on Nick?"

"Nothing. You need help, Greg! You're...you're sick." Nick shouted, shaking Greg aggressively.

"No, not you too. Did they get to you? Were you visited by agents?"

"Agents? What agents? There are no agents Greg, get a grip! Look at this." He opened the shed door again. "You've isolated yourself from the world and, and built this crazy story about time travel to...deal with your loss."

Greg bitterly took the door handle from Nick as he shut the door.

"I don't need this. Get out. Go!"

Nick brushed past him, entering the shed without Greg's permission and turning on the lights. Once he got a full view of the entire area, his breath stopped. There were gridded papers and architectural sketches lining the walls of the interior; complex calculations and prototype designs of a madman. In the back of the shed was a strange looking device that resembled a car engine, though it didn't look functional. This is when Nick realized that Greg was actually sick. Everything looked more like the tinkering of a meth addict than a real scientist.

"The hell is this?" Nick shouted once again, throwing Greg's papers all over the floor. Out of anger, he kicked the strange mechanical device, causing part of it to dislodge.

"Hey!"

Greg tackled Nick to the ground, trying his best to overpower the obviously bigger man. They wrestled each other for a good while before Greg was able to secure a grip on Nick and straddled him in place. He connected a punch to Nick's face and it landed, as did the next one and the one after that. Nick was no longer trying to fight back, the tears that threatened to leave his eyes pouring without hesitation. Greg finally stopped when he felt Nick's body go limp, his breathing coming to a pathetic halt.

"She was sixteen..."

Greg caught his breath and hastily crawled off Nick.

"W-who?"

"I was...nine and she—there are some people you're supposed to be able to trust, you know? All I remember doing afterwards is sitting in my room in the dark, staring at the door waiting for my mom to get home. I've never told anyone before."

Greg backed up and leveraged his body on the palm of his hands, taking in Nick's confession. He looked at the older man who was now softly sobbing, tears mixing with the blood from his facial wounds. Greg immediately took off his shirt and twisted it into a makeshift tourniquet of sorts, trying his best to clear up Nick's dirtied face.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

———

Over an hour had passed without either man saying a word. Nick and Greg sat side by side at the outdoor training field, just staring at the sun set again.

"Beautiful isn't it? I'll miss these sunsets."

"You know pollution causes the _beautiful_ colors you see, right?" Nick quipped, getting an eye roll from Greg.

Of course he knew.

"Just trying to say something nice."

Nick laughed and nodded, his tongue running over the cut embedded into his lips.

"I'm sorry Greg. For everything."

"Nothing to be sorry about."

Seeing the younger man shiver from his skin being exposed, Nick took off his denim jacket and put it around Greg. Greg smiled, scooting closer to Nick.

"Didn't mean to ruin your shirt."

"Eh, didn't need it. I'd much rather travel with a denim jacket/no shirt combo anyways. Coupled with my sunglasses, I look like the ultimate time traveling asshole."

This made Nick chuckle a little, if only out of exasperation.

"So what do we do from here?"

"We...suit up and launch."

"Really?"

"Nothing else left to do, right?"

Nick bit his lips and surged forward, kissing Greg again. Greg smiled into the kiss, running his hand through Nick's hair tenderly.

"Just in case I never see you again."

Greg cleared his throat as he dusted himself off, rising from the floor and heading towards the shed again.

"Let's do this." He shouted towards Nick.

"All right, Marty McFly. What do I need to do?"

Nick followed him inside the shed for the last time, looking at the damage he had caused with great remorse.

"Put these on your temples. Careful though, they have an electromagnetic force running through them."

He took the tiny metal plates from Greg's hands and stuck them to his head. Nick could immediately feel electricity surge through his body, almost like he was being exposed to radiation.

"Like this?"

"Yeah, that's perfect."

Nick smiled and took Greg's hand.

"You sure about this?"

"I'm sure."

With that Greg reared up the machine, a loud whirring reverberating in the background. He took Nick's hand and grabbed it so firmly that he nearly crushed it. Placing the metal plates on his own temples, Greg nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt the energy passing through them. He looked over at Nick who had to admit that he was truly frightened for the third time in his life. Both of them watched as the reactor piston pumped mysterious liquid into the cylinder, eventually streaming into the next chamber. The machine began to shake, making Nick suddenly feel nauseous.

Greg grabbed Nick's face one last time, meeting his lips in a final kiss. He flipped on the last switch and held his breath, feeling the thermodynamic cycle initiating.

Their hands held tightly to one another, only letting go when a bright flash of light blinded both of them.

In between breaths, Nick could only see a haze of darkness, fire, and Greg's lifeless body before he passed out.

———

Nick sucked in a breath, terrified by the sterile environment surrounding him.

He was sitting comfortably in a hospital bed with no memory of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was kissing Greg...and now he was in a hospital.

"Nicky?" Someone whispered, and Nick glanced over in disappointment to see Catherine's worried expression.

"H-hey Cath."

"Oh my God, are you okay?" She gently held his hand and signaled for the rest of the team to come over.

His eyes stuttered as he realized the entire lab had come to pay their respects. Embarrassed, Nick could only look towards the wall.

"I"m fine, what happened?"

"I don't know exactly. They're looking over the crime scene now—"

"Crime scene?"

"There was...an explosion, and a fire. And...another body."

Nick immediately rose from the hospital bed, nearly disconnecting the IV catheter from his arm.

"Nick, calm down man." Warrick's concerned voice resounded as Nick turned towards his friend.

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"The other body?"

"Down the hall."

Before the team could make sense of what was happening, Nick had already jumped over the bed railing and ran out of the room. He dipped his head into several rooms before finally locating Greg's bruised and battered body. He anxiously stepped into the room, looking at the halo of light ironically surrounding Greg like the angel of death. Nick held his breath as he carefully held the blonde's smaller hand in his.

"Greg?"

Greg's eyes crinkled at the touch as he lifted his heavy lids. A small smirk showed up on his lips.

"Did we make it?" Came a weak and raspy response.

"Somethin' like that." Nick replied with a smile, unaware of the audience staring in disbelief behind him.

"Where is he? Papa Olaf."

"You just missed him." Nick managed to get out, holding back a tear as Greg faded out of consciousness again.

———

Greg looked at himself in the mirror once more before dipping his fingers into a jar of hair clay. He moved around blonde spikes like the conductor of a symphony, creating a chaotic flow between his hair follicles. He could still see the ugly scars on his face from the explosion, along with the bruising around his eyes, but it was better than the alternative.

Without warning a strong set of arms circled around his slender body from behind, eliciting a smile from the younger man.

"You look great."

"Thanks. It's not for you though."

Nick rolled his eyes as he planted a trail of possessive kisses along the blonde's neck.

"They'll love you, stop worrying."

"I know they will. I'm wearing the abomination they got me." He pointed to the corny red Christmas sweater he was wearing, which matched Nick's green one.

"Well I think it looks cute on you."

"If only I could tell my past self that I'd be sitting here in your bathroom, getting ready for a holiday party with your coworkers...after a failed attempt to quantum leap."

Nick let out a hearty laugh as he spun Greg around into his arms. He embraced Greg lovingly, taking in the strong scent of his sandalwood cologne.

"You know, I overheard them talking and...we could really use your expertise at the lab."

"Are you offering me a job right now?" Greg said incredulously, playfully pushing Nick off of him.

"Just sayin'. It'd be a good way to divert people from your...um... _borrowed_ government case files on nuclear energy they found out there."

"You just wanna see me in a lab coat."

"Also true."

Greg flipped around as he wrapped his arms around the older man's neck, looking into his eyes with intense fervor. He almost had to laugh at how absurd they both looked. Scratches, bruises, and cuts all over their face, while everything else was meticulously groomed in two tacky Christmas sweaters. For years Greg had constructed his magnum opus in isolation, using calibrations and calculations he was certain of. To this day, he still didn't understand exactly what went wrong.

As he felt Nick slide a hand up his sweater and place a kiss on his temple, Greg had to admit—this wasn't so bad either.

**Author's Note:**

> The dream Nick had is loosely based on David Lynch's short film 'The Alphabet,' which is about a bizarre nightmare his niece had.
> 
> Also it's implied, but Nick kicking Greg's time machine is what made it malfunction, otherwise it would have worked.


End file.
